4 Tips for Working From Home (without losing your mind!)

When working from home comes to mind, what do you imagine? Maybe a luxurious morning, as you grab your morning coffee, and flawlessly whip up a 5 star breakfast. As you head to your workspace, maybe you open the blinds as the sun arrives to officially tell you that your shift has started.

False.

Ok, yes, coffee in the morning may be a necessity. But let’s be honest, your morning routine doesn’t work like. But no worries, here’s some handy tips to make working from home as smooth as possible!

Did you know that your job starts the night before? Didn't see that coming did ya.

Every night before work, the FIRST thing you need to do is set your alarm. I suggest setting it an hour before you start, just to give yourself some time to get into focus mode. You’re also gonna want to lay everything out. From your laptop to your notes, lay EVERYTHING out on your desk so it’s one less thing to worry about in the morning! Maybe have a backpack, or an organizer to keep everything in one place because let’s be honest, is anyone ever organized at home?

The next morning check your email, eat a good breakfast, because once work starts, you need to be focused on WORK. Yuck. I know, I hate that word too. But, it doesn’t have to be something you dread! By getting all your personal stuff out of the way, you don’t have room for distractions. Needed to catch up on last nights episode? Wake up an extra hour early. Have to run out for eggs and milk? Wake up early. Dropping the kids off at school? Schedule out everything from when you first hop on to your computer, to when you hope off to grab lunch. This helps in the long run, because you won’t have room for rushed assignments!

Now, let’s talk about the fun stuff. Throw on those fuzzy pajamas, run your fingers through your hair, enjoy working from home! Here’s a few ways to have a blast, while simultaneously staying focused. First of all, NO TV. Watching The Bachelor and typing up those notes is definitely easy, but way to distracting. Why not put on your favorite podcast? An audio book? Personally, I like to find Spotify playlists to help me stay in my groove! No need to sit in silence, so grab those earbuds, and find your own groove. When it comes to snacks, I love keeping something nearby. If I’m focused on an assignment, I don’t want to get up and loose my focus. Having fruit, or granola bars after your lunch makes for a smooth undistracted day.

My last piece of advice? TURN YOUR PHONE OFF. Ok maybe not all the way off, but enough so you don’t loose track of your process. Unless you have a team of people to keep up with, why do you need Instagram pulled up? Is scrolling through Snapchat really gonna help you get that paper in? Think smart, and remove any distractions. Why not keep your phone on the other side of the room until you need it? Silly? Maybe, but pays off in the end. Remember, hard work ALWAYS pays off!